Tobacco Use in South Carolina

South Carolina ranks 11th in the nation for its number of smokers.

Tobacco use links directly with increased cases of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and asthma in our state, not to mention many other preventable diseases. Uunfortunately, these risks don’t just apply to the people who choose to smoke. Each year, 240,000 of our children are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home. Exposure among children and infants can lead to greater likelihood of developing childhood illness like bronchitis, ear infections, and asthma.

Quit for Keeps logo Quitting tobacco is never easy; in fact, the average smoker makes 4-5 attempts to quit smoking before he or she is successful. That’s why the state offers programs like Quit for Keeps, a toll-free counseling quitline that’s open from 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week.

Smokers can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW and speak with trained cessation counselors who can create a personal plan to quit that works for them and their life.

Reducing overall rates of smoking happens one person at a time and by participating in the Healthy SC Challenge we’re all directly impacting South Carolina’s overall health. Lowering our smoking rates means a Healthier South Carolina for a long time to come.

The Facts and the Figures

Number of adult smokers in SC – 720,000 (2006 BRFSS)
SC adults who smoke – 22.3% (2006 BRFSS)
Adults nationally who smoke – 20.1% (2006 BRFSS)
SC high school students who smoke – 23.5% (2005 YRBS)
Smokers who have tried to quit nationally – 55.4% (source: national estimates)
Average number of quit attempts it takes a smoker to quit for good nationally -- 4-5 (source: national estimates)
Smokers who started smoking as teenagers nationally -- 90% (source: national estimates based on SAMHSA study)
SC adults who die from their own smoking each year – 5,900 (source: tobaccofreekids.org)
Estimated number of SC smokers currently on Medicaid -- 329,782
Kids exposed to secondhand smoke in the home each year in SC -- 240,000 (source: tobaccofreekids.org)
SC kids now under 18 who will ultimately die from smoking-related causes – 103,000 (source: tobaccofreekids.org)
SC adults and children who suffer from asthma -- 281,000
SC adults, kids, and babies who die each year from secondhand smoke -- 580 to 1,030
Annual SC healthcare costs related to smoking -- $1.09 billion ( source: tobaccofreekids.org)
SC residents’ annual financial burden per household for smoking-related government expenditures -- $553
Smoking-caused productivity losses in SC each year -- $1.08 billion ( source: tobaccofreekids.org)

Sources: www.tobaccofreekids.org, www.scdhec.gov, BRFSS, and the CDC

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Tobacco Use in South Carolina

The Facts and the Figures